Parler Is Back...Sort Of
I've been checking back every few days at the "free speech" Twitter alternative favored by a number of Trumpkins and media conservatives and deplatformed by Amazon Web Services in the aftermath of Jan. 6. They've had a banner page for some time but no real hint when service would resume. I saw a note in one of Glenn Beck's email subscriptions today I was annoyed at their captcha mechanism (to verify you're not a robot); I must have tried 3 or 4 times to logon; I gathered I typoed the captcha phrase or misread it; it just seemed to hang. I finally got in. I did notice an account recovery button without further explanation at the logon page. Once I got into the account there didn't seem to be a history; now I never wrote that many parleys (tweets) or followed that many people--mostly it was more libertarian people like Ron or Rand Paul, Tom Massie, etc. I don't know if they have histories in the process of being loaded or if I have to submit explicitly an account restoration. I sent out a trial parley and for a while it disappeared from my feed. So I think the reopening is still in\-process and they're ironing out some wrinkles.
My Amazon Microwave Disconnected Again
I posted my initial experience in this barely-read SoftDoc post a while back. AmazonBasics has an economically-priced voice-controlled (through a nearby Amazon device (e.g., Amazon Echo Dot smartspeaker)). There's a setup which draws upon your WIFI connection (usually that's handled in detail when you connect your first Amazon device, like a tablet or Fire stick or Echo). And you generally use an Amazon Alexa smartphone app to do a setup. I have an Echo Dot near my microwave and so I do a paired connection Now the touchscreen control is very ordinary like your typical microwave (there are power, weight, and defrost times buttons in a top row), but some things, like setting the clock time are less obvious but seem to be set automatically through the WIFI connection.
I've gotten so used to saying "Alexa, microwave 2 minutes" or "Alexa, defrost a half pound of vegetables", just imagine the dismay when Alexa responds one day, "The microwave is not responding." Presumably the microwave has lost its WIFI connection. I wouldn't say this is a regular thing, but my workaround is to reconnect the power source, go into the Amazon app, delete the current microwave icon, and add back the microwave. The big step is it tells you to press the touchscreen 2 until 0:00 starts blinking in the timer zone. Except this time, it kept saying FAILURE instead of 0:00.That was new. Basically I kept restarting the microwave and/or setup until I got the blinking time. It sort of reminded me of my clunky old car, trying to get the motor to turn over, hoping my battery won't die while I turn the ignition key.
Shutdown Diary
The race to find COVID vaccines in Florida by retirees is on. I mentioned my Facebook friend Bill last journal post. He and fellow retirees were swapping tips on which counties had vaccine doses available, ranging up to 150 miles away. Now that's motivation. Otherwise I hink Bill is waiting for a call from his local county/
The latest stats from Washpo (the cases and hospitalizations continue to decline, but the positivity rate is leveling off)::
